Energy (D.P./M.H.A.)

. 3 7 .

"I hope I can assume you do not think of me as an idiot," Nezu said, a smile on his face and fire in his eyes. Danny gulped and shrunk into himself as he looked into those pits of black. He cringed as Nezu pulled up a still from him mid-fall, white hair prominent in the middle and green glowing lines where his eyes must've been. Nezu turned to Danny with a neutral expression, folding his hands together. "But I am interested in this. Why didn't you tell?"

Danny contemplated his answer. There was no way he was getting out of this situation with less than telling some things that even remotely resembled the truth. Midoriya had talked to him about Quirks, so he knew some basics, nothing more than the surface of the lore he was supposed to be familiar with. He had pretended to be the user of an emitter-Quirk and falling into more than one category would completely throw everyone off. No-one was supposed to be in two categories.

And yet here he was.

"I..." He fumbled with his hands, accepting the situation for what it was in the moment. "I wanted to seem approachable," he started as he let his hands fall into his lap and looked at Nezu. "If the others were to find out I was some over-powered random person that showed up, they'd be suspicious. Or at least be wary of me. I... We needed to seem innocent, young, curious about what was going on. Foreigners entering a new land, a new school, a new environment." He relaxed a tad as Nezu didn't do anything but blink at him, that weird smile still on the principal's face.

"Also, if they'd find out, things would go wrong... Would've, days ago. That was the only thing Clockwork directly told us before we went. The details... Trust me if I say you don't want to know."

Nezu grabbed the pot of tea from its stand and poured two cups, sliding one over the desks towards the teen. "What you are saying is that the students couldn't know, for their safety."

Danny blew on the tea and grimaced behind the hot steam. "For more people than theirs..." He put the cup back down and stared at his hands. "Principal Nezu..." He lifted his eyes to him. "It would have endangered not one, but two lives."

Nezu merely nodded at the confession as he sipped at his tea. "I understand. And I have learned that the three of you will let us know what we need to know. I trust your judgment, and if there's anything you need, please, do not hesitate to ask. U.A. has access to many things, and the teachers will also help if they are asked to." He put his cup back down and sent an encouraging smile towards Danny. "I understand your worry with...some of the teachers."

Danny's eyes widened a tad as he lifted his gaze to Nezu. "Wha..."

"They can seem intimidating, powerful, or like obstacles for your mission," Nezu continued without hesitation, "but they want nothing more than to help. Some are more direct about it than others, but they all want what is best for you. And if there's a problem, you can always talk to them, right?"

To say Danny felt distracted most of the weekend was an understatement. Nezu had assured him he understood, would talk to Aizawa to make sure he would not act on anything he saw and had made him drink the tea and sent him home after making him promise he'd have some conversations with some people. Danny only remembered leaving the office, walking up the stairs, and Sam's worried smile as he entered their apartment. 

The next thing he knew, he was on the training grounds.

Midoriya must've noticed him space out because he had been sending worried glances from behind his notebook ever since they entered the gates. Danny snapped out of his trance and sent a tired smile back. "I'm fine."

Midoriya hastily waved his hands back and forth. "I-I didn't..!"

"I know those looks," Danny said as he stretched his arms above his head and lay his hands on his head. "Sam and Tucker do it all the time when they think I'm feeling off. But really, thanks. I would've been standing there for another hour, and we got shit to do."

Midoriya was quick to nod and make a determined fist. "Let's do it!"

Sleeping in by even 10 minutes by snoozing once was a mistake. After having been so strict about it for years on end, Bakugou wasn't even sure why he decided to press the button after the alarm went off. He hadn't even slept in that time and instead stared at the ceiling for what felt like two seconds until the alarm went off for a second time.

His parents had looked at him with knowing eyes when he did finally come downstairs to eat breakfast. He ignored them pointedly and left them to their own conversation, not even trying to understand what they were talking about. He scarfed down his food, threw his books in his bag, and slammed the door as he walked out. 

The park was already busy, but he couldn't be bothered with the looks he was thrown. They always did, so he was used to it anyway. U.A. was quiet as could be around half-past seven in the morning. The Nerds weren't screaming, so he figured there was something more important going on. Not that he cared, or anything. He was slow to walk around the corners of the building and onto the sandy fields and halted just before he came into view.

He watched how Fenton was talking to Deku with a smile on his face, speaking excitedly, but not loud enough for Bakugou to make out individual words. The Damn Nerd seemed to be flabbergasted by the words as if the secrets of the universe were being laid out in front of him. Bakugou briefly wondered how long they'd been standing there, Fenton speaking as if he were a guru with all the knowledge in the world, but banished the thought. Deku nodded at the words, eyes wide with a sparkle in them as they widened and he seemed to realize something.

"I got it!"

Bakugou huffed in slight amusement at the exclamation. As if.

"Just focus!" Fenton encouraged from a small distance. Damn, when had he moved? One moment he was on one end of the field and the next he was halfway across. It made it easier for him to catch words though, so Bakugou wasn't complaining. "Constant flow and not too much energy!"

Bakugou actively chose not to huff and opted to watch silently instead. 'Scouting the competition,' he told himself. Deku was standing still, hands clenched into fists at his sides and eyes closed. Fenton had stopped yelling stupid encouragements at him, so Bakugou glanced back at him. 

Fenton looked right back at him, arms crossed, and no particular emotion on his face. Almost as if saying, 'Just you wait, Bakugou. He'll do something you wouldn't even dream of doing.' It was oddly specific in his head, but Bakugou wasn't trusting his own mind today anymore. The fact that he was even thinking about it in the first place said enough.

Fenton huffed and shook his head before turning back to Deku, and Bakugou did the same.

Whether it had been good or bad he had ever decided to actually spend time and energy paying attention to the two, and even though he usually regretted it, it had been certainly a good idea this morning. Also coming later, staying quiet, and not immediately blowing up. Not that he was planning on doing that more often. One measly show wasn't going to be doing that. Deku was still that useless bastard he was two months ago.

But he had to admit: that green lightning was kind of cool.